5th adc meeting

13. CEOS WGISS overview

M. Maiden provided an introduction to CEOS WGISS activities related to GEO ADC. WGISS’ Mission is to stimulate, coordinate and monitor initiatives to exploit and benefit from data generated by Earth observing satellites and other sources.

The overall objective of WGISS is to facilitate data and information management and services for users and data providers in dealing with global, regional and local issues. WGISS addresses in particular the description, access, retrieval, archiving, long-term preservation, utilization, and maintenance of spaceborne Earth observation data and supporting ancillary and auxiliary data and information, enabling improved operability and interconnectivity of information systems and services.
More specific objectives of WGISS are to:

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  Enable Earth observation data and information best practices and services to be more accessible and usable to data providers and data users world-wide through international coordination;
  
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  Enhance the complementarity, interoperability and standardization of Earth observation data and information management and services with other types of geospatial data such as in-situ data;
  
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  Foster easier exchange of Earth observation and related data and information to meet the requirements of users and data providers; and
  
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  Foster the development of information best practices and services that use spaceborne Earth observation data.
  

Key features of WGISS are:

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  WGISS agencies have a vast quantity of data, systems, and other resources that can support science or applications
  
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  WGISS is working to make these resources accessible through a common set of discovery, search, access, and service interfaces.
  
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  WGISS works closely with standards organizations like OGC and ISO to ensure that the CEOS WGISS data and tools can interoperate with the different national and international spatial data infrastructures and to facilitate the development of commercial products that implement the common interfaces.
  

WGISS’ current foci are to:

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  Provide a satellite arm of the GEO System of Systems
  
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  Innovative contributions that will persist, and can be reused
  
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  Work closely with and support CEOS Virtual Constellations (GEO DA-07-03)
  
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  Work closely and collaborate with the CEOS Working Group on Calibration and Validation
  
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  Support the CEOS Plenary Chair’s Data Democracy initiative
  

Question: is there a CEOS portal to GEOSS? M. Maiden: Yes, we have an LSI (Land Surface Imaging) portal that is going online this year.